If Mike Rio is any indication of what Dakota Cochrane could face on “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” he’ll find some tough competition – but also some understanding.

Soon after FX officials announced Cochrane as one of 32 fighters chosen for the upcoming live season of the the UFC’s competition-reality series, Dakota’s past as a gay-porn actor made headlines.

But Rio today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com) that Cochrane is just one of 32 UFC hopefuls who’s preparing for a new chapter in his life.

“He’s just like everybody else,” Rio told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “He’s just trying to start a new chapter in his life, which is what we’re all trying to do. We’re trying to move on. He’s entitled to do what he wants – according to me, he’s entitled to do whatever he wants. Me and him hung out a little bit. He seemed cool to me. He didn’t seem disrespectful. … He was just a cool, down-to-earth guy.

“Whatever he does in his spare time, he does in his spare time, but you can’t deny he can kick someone’s ass because you’ve seen his record and seen what he can do.”

Soon after defeating former WEC champion Jamie Varner at a September Titan Fighting Championships event, Cochrane’s past really came to light. As Cochrane told “The MMA Show” host Mauro Ranallo on Tuesday, he appeared in some gay-porn movies in college for the pay. He calls the decision a “mistake,” maintains he’s straight, and said he’s committed to moving on.

Rio said Cochrane’s 11-2 pro record and a recent seven-fight win streak tell him all he needs to know about his castmate.

“If he’s a good fighter, it doesn’t matter what he did,” he said. “He’s not going into the show to do any gay-porn stuff. He’s going to fight. And if he’s good at fighting, who can take that away from him?”

Rio and Cochrane are among the 32 lightweights chosen for the show. But the cast will be cut in half during a March 9 premiere, which features 16 live elimination-round fights. The 16 winners earn official cast-member status and then will be drafted into teams coached by either UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz or Urijah Faber.

The show takes place in Las Vegas over a 13-span – twice as long as previous seasons, which all aired on Spike TV. So Rio could not only spend three months training with Cochrane (who revealed his porn past in his “TUF 15″ audition video so UFC officials and producers were well aware of it), but he also could be living with him.

“I had a teammate who was gay,” the former college wrestler said. “I had a bunch of workout partners that were gay. It’s just inevitable. I’m not about to alienate someone or not train with them because of their preference or past.

“If he’s a good training partner, he’s a good training partner. What am I supposed to do? Not train with the best guy in the room just because he had a preference? No, come on. That’s how you do not become the best. To be the best, you’ve got to train with the best. If he’s the best, you deal with him.”

As for Rio, he enters “TUF 15″ with a solid 8-1 record of his own. He’s also gleaned some insider advice from “TUF 12″ champion Jonathan Brookins (Rio’s former college roommate), as well as “TUF” vets and friends/training partners Alex Caceres and Rich Attonito.

But with the first-ever season on FX, there are plenty of unknowns. Sure, he knows the 31 other fighters who will be in the tournament with him, and he knows FX will show their weekly fights live on Friday nights. But other than that?

“They keep us in the dark just as much as anyone else,” he said. “We don’t know anything. We’re going up there with 32 men. They just told us to be prepared to be there for 13 weeks. That’s it.”

And those unknowns are half the battle, he said. Everyone selected for the show is skilled, and some are proven big-show vets. But 13 weeks in isolation without so much as an iPod or TV or books? That’s where the real competition is.

“Everybody is talented,” he said. “Everybody can fight. Everyone knows what they need to do to kick someone’s ass. But the other side? I think I’m prepared for the hardest part: the mental side and staying sane through it all.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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